Tinykin

Very fun and very well made! Tinykin is yet more proof that smaller teams can make great games by combining a strong grasp of what makes a genre so satisfying with a dedication to getting the basics right.

The levels are big and enticing, just begging to be explored. They're packed with the usual collectibles and environmental puzzles, as well as a lot of charming background detail. There's the design itself, cute and evocative, as well as many NPCs providing dialog, fleshing out the world-building, and just being silly and funny. The world of Tinykin doesn't take itself seriously, but the writing is decent and internally consistent. It's nice to spend some time with these folk.

It's a relatively easy game. You can get 100% of everything by just exploring, paying attention, and patiently trying things out. Puzzles are simple and there's no combat. The only real challenge might come from some 3D platforming, but controls are tight and forgiving and shouldn't cause much frustration. There are optional race challenges that do push your skills much more, but they are actually quite fun if you're into that, and do well to demonstrate that the basic control scheme is solid. You're not going to be thinking too much about angles and camera positions, which is exactly as it should be in 3D platforming games.

My only critique, really, is that it's just too easy for my tastes. My favorite game of this type is Supraland, which has challenging puzzles, lots of secrets, combat, and is just far bigger and more complex than Tinykin. It's OK and nice to keep things simple! Tinykin scratches a more casual itch, but delivers fully on its promise. Still, I'm confident that Splashteam can go much bigger, too, and hope they will in the future.

Two thumbs up from me.